What to expect from your telcare service

Telecare has been around for several decades now. It covers a number of services within its domain and the list is increasing continuously. While the narrow definition of telecare covers only assistance over telecommunication modes, it is now much broader and includes services like personal alarms. Mobile devices, pill dispenser and much more.

In many developed nations like UK, Spain among others, include telecare services in their policies and share the burden of the cost to make it affordable for citizens. In some provinces, the local authorities also provide for certain telecare services. The number of private telecare service providers is also increasing and with rapid development in technology, they’re becoming more efficient, advanced and thus more reliable.

Although all the providers work with the same aim, there are a few things that define the quality of their service and reliability.

1. Instant response

The most important thing a telecare is supposed to provide is the timely response. The whole point of telecare is to make sure the user gets help whenever s/he needs. A few minutes can make a lot of difference in medical emergencies. Thus a telecare service is expected to act fast and send proper help in time.

2. 24/7 monitoring

An emergency can arise anytime and thus the telecare service needs to ensure that the devices are monitored all the time to make sure the users get the help they need regardless of what time of the day it is. 24/7 monitoring makes the service more reliable and thus provides more mental peace to the users as well as their carers.

3. Hassle-free setup service

The set up of the devices should be the responsibility of the service providers and it should be quick and hassle-free. A long process and multiple visits for setting up the device can be quite disturbing and inconvenient for the customer.

4. Safety Confirmation

The aim of telecare is to ensure the safety and security of individuals by sending help when required and there may be cases when the user cannot alert the service providers about her needs. Thus a telecare should play a proactive role in such cases and manage for some system to enable a passive call for help. The careline should ask for confirmation from the user daily and take action if no confirmation is received.

The increasing use of telecare has significantly reduced mortality rates and emergency hospital admissions. Governments are trying to extend these services to more citizens and encouraging the use of the same through their policies and financial grants. The private carelines are also incorporating the latest technology in their devices and thus the telecare markets are emerging to be stronger and better.